A La Mode
by saberstorm
Summary: In which I headcannon Marinette as being related to Edna Mode, and imagine how Ladybug might get a new suit design.


Seeing a limo in front of his school wasn't unusual. It was either the limo or the car when Adrien's bodyguard came to pick him up. What made this limo unusual was that it definitely wasn't his. The front was black, the back was white, and between the two was a diamond/checker transition pattern.

"Friend of yours?" Nino joked.

"Nope," he replied, before turning back to look at the doors at the top of the stairs, managing to catch Alya and Marinette coming out of the school, Alya excitedly showing the other girl something on her phone. Adrien felt his cheeks warm slightly at the sight of the aspiring designer. He honestly wasn't sure how he felt about her. He insisted that she was just a friend, but now that he knew she liked him, and for the right reasons, he found himself questioning his own feelings. That also led to feelings of guilt when he thought about his proclamations of devotion to Ladybug, resulting in a tornado of emotions that threatened to crash his brain whenever they emerged.

His thoughts were derailed when a door to the unknown limo opened, and a small woman with large glasses and a very distinct style stepped out, instantly belting out in a voice far larger than her petite form, "DAAAAAAAARLING! It's been SOOOOO long!" Marinette froze, eyes wide in surprise, before practically jumping in the air with an excided squeal and rushing to hug the woman who barely reached her waist.

Okay, now Adrien's brain was officially broken. He may have not recognized the limo, but there was no way he didn't recognize the small woman who was now leading Mari into the limo. Like the rest of his classmates, he stared in shock as the door closed and the limo drove away, but he continued to stare long after the rest of the students shrugged it off, his brain replaying the moment over and over as he tried to comprehend what Mari had shouted.

Not a squeal of "EEEE", but rather a declaration. A name, "Auntie", or perhaps more accurately, "Aunt E."

"DUDE!" A sharp smack to the back of his head, courtesy of Alya, rebooted the poor boy's mind as he staggered on his feet, thankfully caught by Nino, who was giving his best friend a concerned look. "What's with you, Adrien?"

"Mode."

"What?"

"Mode."

"Alya, I think you broke something."

"Edna Mode."

"Wait... What?"

"Edna Mode." It was the only thing he could say. He just couldn't understand it. This was beyond his Marinette vs. Ladybug issue. This was so confusing it had to be against the laws of physics, and probably whatever magical laws the Miraculous worked within. How was it that Marinette - kind, cute, sweet, strong, amazing Marinette - idolize his own father, whom Nino described as "scary, beyond all reason", when she personally knew the one person who intimidated his father like a dire wolf against a common house cat? And she knew her well enough to call her "Aunt"?

Adrien had no idea how he got home that day.

* * *

"So, what brings you to Paris, Aunt E.?" Marinette asked the smaller woman as the two sipped tea in the back of the limo.

"You mean aside from the obvious fashion show where my signature collection is to be displayed two months from now?" Edna remarked with a grin.

"Well, yeah," Marinette flushed slightly. That was her Aunt E. all right. She was a small powerhouse of a woman who taught Marinette a lot, and while often critical, preferred to deliver that criticism in small, humorous ways. In this case, a slight reprimand that Marinette had not been paying attention to upcoming events. Of course, Marinette had a lot of other things on her mind lately, like being Ladybug, but she could understand Edna's disappointment that the Parisian didn't consider her own Aunt's upcoming show. Marinette had forgotten about it until her Aunt showed up at her school. "But that's two months from now."

Edna's grin grew wider, "Of course, Darling, but you know I like to be prepared. But you are right, that is only part of the reason I am here, and certainly not the reason why I came to get you from that silly place you call a school to take you to my office here in Paris. In fact, Ms. Ladybug, I am here for you."

"Huh?" Marinette stared at her Aunt, before here eyes widened. "What!? No...! I'm not...!"

"Girl, you can fool your parents, your boyfriend in the catsuit, all of Paris, even the world for all I care, but you cannot fool these eyes," Edna remarked, tapping her massive glasses. "Speaking of which, What Do You Think You Are Doing?" The elder, smaller fashion designer of the two instantly switched to lecture/rant mode and began smacking Marinette on the head with a rolled up newspaper to punctuate her words. "I teach you everything you know, watch with pride as you impress Gabriel Agreste and create the cover of Jagged Stone's newest album that hits the top of the charts, and you go running around the rooftops of Paris wearing a polka-dot, spandex onesie? I'd be insulted if it wasn't such an insult to yourself, so I suppose I'll just have to be insulted on your behalf. No! No more! We are going to my office, and we are going to design you a REAL suit. No niece of mine is going to be running around Paris in such a terrible pair of pajamas on my watch!"

Thoroughly intimidated, Marinette stayed seated, wide-eyed and staring at her aunt in shock. She never imagined anyone would find out her identity, let alone an Aunt she rarely got to meet for long due to how often Edna traveled. One week, her aunt would be in Paris, and then the next she'd be in London, and then New York, Milan, Tokyo, Berlin, Moscow, and every other major city in the world. The entire Dupan-Cheng family had a running joke that Edna lived out of her private jet (and a betting pool that Marinette didn't know about on how long it would be before Edna was forced to replace it). And yet, it happened. Marinette had no plan for this scenario, and was left speechless as the limo stopped, not even comprehending the move as Edna Mode guided her to her private office, stood her to one side, and began taking measurements.

"Aunt E.," Mari began weakly, "I don't know how you found out, but-"

"I'm not going to tell anyone, Darling. I've seen your fights against these "Akumas" this "Hawkmoth" sends. I can tell that you're trapped in a defensive battle, and therefore need to keep your identity a secret, even from your parents." Edna smiled at her niece, "Believe me, Darling, I know how to keep secrets. I can't even tell you why."

That was telling. Marinette wasn't stupid, and knew that Edna did design work that often never saw the light of day and yet still made the small designer massive profits. Did her Aunt do designs for government agencies, or even other heroes? "That's not it, Aunt E. I don't think my suit can change. I don't exactly change into it," she explained. "I never designed it. It's magic."

Humming, Edna paused in her measurements. "Magic? That would explain a lot, and your powers do seem to be based of good luck, quantum mathematics, and string theory. You and your partner both, though his seems more in line with entropy. Clearly you can have some influence over your powers. Perhaps we can find a way to extend that influence to your suit? After seeing that blog report on that phony Pharaoh, it's quite clear your powers are older than you, inheritable even, and I doubt any of your predecessors wore spandex pajamas."

"Um..." Marinette glanced towards her purse, which had been left nearby on Edna's desk, praying that Tikki stayed hidden. Even if Edna figured out her identity, it was still safer for her aunt if she didn't know what a Miraculous was, or how it worked. "I don't know."

"Then we design anyway, and you start practicing in private," Edna insisted, resuming her measuring. "In two months from now, I want to invite Ms. Ladybug to see my latest collection first hand, as some of the pieces have been inspired by her and her boyfriend, and I do not want my niece showing up looking like she put on an oversized toddler onesie. If you can't change it, then we'll make an oversuit for you. Perhaps a jacket or something inspired by fantasy supplemental armor from a video game. You'll look more fabulous and official that way."

So Marinette spent the rest of the day with her aunt, going over different designs and talking about how it felt to be Ladybug. It was actually quite refreshing to talk to someone, even though she kept her accounting of events edited. Her aunt understood. It wasn't until the end of the day that Marinete realized that her aunt was making some choice comments, and tried to set the record straight.

"Aunt E., Chat Noir is not my boyfriend."

Edna Mode simply smiled and tapped her glasses.


End file.
